00:00The World Health Organization declares an mpox or monkeypox outbreak for the second time in two years.
00:07This following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries.
00:12WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declares the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern, or HEIC.
00:21HEIC status is WHO's highest level of alert and aims to accelerate research, funding, and international public health measures and cooperation to contain the disease.
00:32Mpox can spread through close contact.
00:34It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
00:38It is usually mild but can be fatal in rare cases.
00:41The Congo outbreak began with the spread of an endemic strain known as Clade 1.
00:45But a new variant, Clade 1b, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact.
00:52Vaccines and behavior change help stop the spread when a different strain of mpox spread globally.
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